Ross Township Meeting Set For County Public Safety Center

ROSS TOWNSHIP — A meeting of the Ross Township supervisors is set for Tuesday in Monroe County. It’s the first meeting since a gunman opened fire at their meeting last month, killing three people.

The meeting will not be held at the Ross Township Municipal Building but at the Monroe County Public Safety Center.

Hours before the meeting, Monroe County sheriff’s deputies searched the center inside and out to make sure nothing suspicious was inside.

We talked to the county emergency management director before the deputies arrived.

“The sheriff’s deputies are going to come in and make sure that nobody left any packages behind or do a general search to secure the building to make sure the doors are locked, windows are locked,” said EMA Director Guy Miller.

Last month, police say Rockne Newell opened fire during the Ross Township supervisor meeting near Saylorsburg. Three people were killed and a few were injured. Police say Newell was upset that the township was trying to kick him off his property.

The township supervisors asked the EMA director who runs the county’s public safety building if they could hold their September meeting there.

Ross Township residents have mixed feelings about the meeting being held in the safety center.

“I think they’re making a mistake,” said William Reiss of Ross Township. “Because people come here all the time. This is just one incident.”

“I’m pretty sure there are bad memories right now, so maybe they’re just having it somewhere else to have their mind on the meeting and off what happened in the past,” said Ross Township resident Scott Castone.

The supervisor’s meeting will be held in the Emergency Operations Center inside the county public safety center but before residents can take a seat, they will need to go through a security check.

“Everybody will be required to go through a metal detector and there will be no firearms allowed, no weapons allowed in the meeting,” Miller said.

“You should never take your gun somewhere with you,” Reiss added.

“In light of what happened, i think it’s the right steps that need to be taken,” Castone said.